28 posts categorized "How I Met Your Mother"

July 29, 2010

Those are the words of Craig Thomas, executive producer and co-creator of "How I Met Your Mother."

He and Carter Bays, his fellow executive producer and co-creator, gave a group interview to several TV writers and critics Wednesday evening at the Television Critics Association press tour. They talked about beginning the show's overall endgame and what's to come in Season 6 (and much of that information is at the end of this post).

And for almost an hour, Thomas and Bays talked about Season 5, which many critics, including myself, found uneven at best and, yes, broad and sitcommy at worst. In their view, their decision to experiment and not give the season an overall arc produced some of what they consider "HIMYM's" best episodes, such as "Girls Versus Suits" and "Doppelgangers," but they said they ultimately realized the season felt "rudderless."

In Season 5, "We set out to say, 'What if every episode, you hit the reset button at the end of the episode?'" Bays said. "...We had fun doing that, but I feel like that's not the show we wanted to do."

"A certain kind of fan of the show felt like last season was less emotionally interesting, less interesting in the larger arc of 'Who's the mother?' but also less interesting in the sense of moving forward in these characters' lives," Thomas added. "I feel like we earned fans by exploring a lot of different rites of passage in people's lives, and last year I feel like we did a lot less of it."

Season 6 certainly sounds good on paper. For one thing, Bays and Thomas promise to fundamentally shake up the question of Ted's future wife -- the mother of the show's title -- in the show's Sept. 20 season premiere, which will see the return of guest star Rachel Bilson, who plays the unseen mother's roommate.

"That trick that we've done for five years -- 'Is this one the mother?' -- we're going to put that trick to bed," Thomas said. "You're going to learn some stuff in Episode 1 that sort of ends that particular gimmick."

There will also be significant arcs for each character, and "by the end of the season, everyone's lives will change dramatically," Thomas said.

Thomas also made this vow: "Ted will be absolutely un-douchey this year."

Ted's douchiness wasn't the show's biggest problem in Season 5, however. Though the season had its moments, elements that had driven it in the past -- emotionally compelling relationships, intricate or inventive stories, a sense of romantic possibility and a relatable sense of progress in the characters' lives -- weren't consistently well executed.

And once Barney and Robin abruptly broke up a third of the way through the season, I kept watching for a while, thinking that a reason for the sudden breakup or a further emotional development would be coming on that front. When nothing more happened in that arena, despite my residual affection for the comedy, I drifted away.

Thomas and Bays said if they had to do it all over again, they'd have kept Barney and Robin together longer. Part of the problem was that the writers had penned a lot of episodes in advance. By the time they saw the chemistry that Cobie Smulders and Neil Patrick Harris had as Barney and Robin, they'd already put the couple on the path to a breakup.

But the bigger problem was the interchangeable, standalone nature of most episodes.

"There wasn't accumulation of meaning from episode to episode last year, as much as we've done in the past," Thomas said. "And I think we write better when we're accumulating meaning and momentum and building a larger season."

"I think we were wrong" to play what he called "an improv game" with the season, Bays said. "We sort of ignored that part of us that are planners by nature, and it suffered structurally, I think."

In the episode, which will air around the mid-point of the CBS comedy's fifth season, Gunn will act as a "personal tailor/ fashion consultant as Barney tries to fix a major
league 'Suit Catastrophe,'" according to "HIMYM" co-creator Craig Thomas. "Tim is basically like Barney's ER physician
for a serious suit emergency."

For Barney, a man-about-town who takes his suits very seriously, it's "life or death stuff," Thomas jokes.

But wait, that's not all: Episode 100 will also have a guest appearance from Rachel Bilson of "The O.C." (for more on that look here) and a big musical number as well. We know from his well-received turns hosting the Emmys and the Tonys that Neil Patrick Harris can pull off the musical showstoppers like nobody's business. He will no doubt, as Tim Gunn would say, make it work.

"We're really excited to have Tim on the show, and, with Rachel Bilson
cast as a Ted love interest and a huge musical number to boot, it's
gonna make Episode 100 even more fun and special," Thomas said.

Come on, you know I have to say it. It sounds like this milestone episode of the enjoyable Monday-night comedy is going to be legen -- wait for it! -- dary.

April 10, 2009

This season, “How I Met Your Mother” (7:30 p.m. Central, Monday, CBS) could have been called “How We Tried to Hide Two Pregnancies.”

Last year, after production had begun on the fourth season of the CBS comedy, Alyson Hannigan, who plays Lily, announced she was pregnant. Weeks later, Cobie Smulders, who plays Robin, shared the same news. Hannigan gave birth to a daughter in March, and Smulders is due soon.

“We were expecting it with Alyson at some point. With Cobie, it was much more unexpected, but it was delightful,” said Craig Thomas, executive producer and co-creator of the show, which also stars Neil Patrick Harris, Jason Segel and Josh Radnor. “After the shock wore off, we found a way to write around it or have fun with it.”

The actresses have been carrying large handbags, wearing loose clothing and using all the usual midriff-hiding tricks, given that their characters are not pregnant on the show. But, as Thomas says, “HIMYM” has also been “winking at the audience” by “hiding” Hannigan’s pregnancy in ways that actually drew attention to it, for those in the know.

In recent scenes, the shape of Hannigan’s mid-section was intentionally echoed by a globe or by the rack of basketballs she stood behind. And at one point, after winning an eating contest, Lily showed off her bulging tummy (which many viewers knew had a baby inside it, not an excess of food).

The writers’ attitude was “why be subtle about it—let’s make an extra joke out of it,” Thomas said.

And despite a few challenges presented by the real-life pregnancies, "HIMYM" has been on a roll lately. The much-improved "Big Bang Theory" and "HIMYM" make for a dependably pleasing comedy block on Mondays.

Still, Thomas said it has been the “weirdest” season of “HIMYM.” Episodes were shot out of order and Hannigan only appears in three of the five “HIMYM” episodes that close out the show’s season—her scenes in Monday’s outing, in the May 11 episode and in the May 18 season finale were shot months ago.

“Quite honestly, this show is about these five people,” said Pamela Fryman, who has directed almost every episode of “HIMYM.” “Those five people needed to be there.”

Other adjustments had to be made as well. Some ideas for "Lily stories" were put on the back burner, and the writers came up with the story line for an episode with a complicated timeline -- the kind of episode that has become a hallmark of "HIMYM." But that story ended up being too too ambitious to shoot this season, and it too went into a file of ideas for Season 5 (though no official announcement has been made yet, CBS is expected to renew the show, thank goodness).

Fryman said she tried to shoot the women from the front whenever possible, but certain scenes had to be re-arranged to hide the pregnancies. For example, in the May 4 episode, Robin talks to another character through the pass-through window in the kitchen of Ted's apartment, which wasn't the original plan for that scene.

"Tuesday at the run-though it was fine, but then on Wednesday, Cobie was, like, astronomically more pregnant," Thomas said. "I don't think we've ever done a scene through the pass-through before, but even that wasn't enough. We had to put a bowl of fruit" in front of her.

But the desire to hide those expanding midsections also led to some inspired moments. "The Front Porch," an episode in which the gang wore pajamas and bathrobes as they attempted to stay awake to watch Robin's morning show on TV, featured Marshall's amusing defense of the wearing of old-fashioned nightshirts and the debut of Barney's pajama "suit."

Still, that episode also ended up presenting challenges of its own, especially in a scene in which Lily and Ted (Radnor) have a big argument and ignore the chaos that is erupting on the TV behind them.

There's more of the story below, and a few bonus extras at the end of this piece.

January 08, 2009

Here's a sneak peek of Spencer Pratt and Heidi Montag from "The Hills" on Monday's episode of the CBS comedy "How I Met Your Mother."

I didn't exactly do a jig of glee when I read that those two, as well as Kim Kardashian and Kendra Wilkinson, were going to be making appearances on the show. The mere existence of Spencer in particular gives me a migraine.

But as you can see from the clip, the use of these tabloid favorites is kind of amusing. They speak to Marshall from the pages of a magazine he's carrying around -- a particular magazine that he uses for a special purpose.

There's more about the episode, including more info on what occurs between Robin and Ted in the episode, at the end of this item. Watch With Kristin has a four more clips from the episode. And lastly, Korbi from Zap2it.com has some very interesting "HIMYM" scoopage here. Beware ye of spoilers.

November 24, 2008

"Friends" had its Ugly Naked Guy, a man who lived near Monica and Rachel's apartment -- much too near, given his tendency to remove all his clothes.

Monday's episode of "How I Met Your Mother" is called "The Naked Man," and CBS describes the episode thusly: '"After Ted walks into the apartment
to find Robin's date sitting on the couch in the buff, the gang
realizes this method might be the easiest way to get their dates into
bed with them."

During the course of the episode, Lily writes down 50 reasons to become intimate on a napkin from MacLaren's, the bar that is home to the "HIMYM" gang. A few samples from that list (as well as a link to a copy of the full list) are below. The list is written in "HIMYM's" typically irreverent tone -- but I will add the caveat that it's not suitable for kids.

Photo: Jason Segel and Alyson Hannigan as Marshall and Lily (who is thinking up her list in the photo) on "How I Met Your Mother"

September 22, 2008

When "How I Met Your Mother" returns with a solidly satisfying outing (7:30 p.m. Monday, WBBM-Ch. 2), Ted (Josh Radnor) gets an answer to his marriage proposal from Stella (Sarah Chalke), whom he has only known a short time.

A character we've known a long time—the irrepressible Barney (Neil Patrick Harris)—provides many of the yucks, however. He has realized that he's smitten with his longtime pal Robin (Cobie Smulders), and it's hilarious to see him go from confident lady-killer to awkward, lovelorn guy. Robin, for her part, is completely oblivious to Barney’s pining.

Ted and Stella, on the other hand, confront the issue of the relationship deal-breaker: What do you do if you want to screen your favorite film for your beloved—but you're afraid that person may not like the movie?

It's a relatable question handled with "HIMYM's" typically adept humor. It's good to have this show back.

September 16, 2008

If you're anything like me, you're dying for some "How I Met Your Mother" right about now -- even a small dose of the swell comedy. To help you with your cravings, here's a clip from the show's series premiere, which finally arrives 7:30 p.m. Central Time Monday.

When we last left the show, Ted (Josh Radnor) had just proposed to Stella (Sarah Chalke) but she hadn't answered yet. Spoiler alert! Don't watch this clip if you want to remain in the dark about Stella's response to Ted's marriage proposal.

Affiliate links disclaimer:

Clicking on the green links will direct you to a third-party Web site. Bloggers and staff writers are in no way affiliated with these links that are placed by an e-commerce specialist only after stories and posts have been published.